INVITATIONEM

About INVITATIONEM

INVITATIONEM is a short point-and-click horror game made independently by Julien Bartholini, playable in the browser in English, French and Latin American Spanish. It sets out the oldest story in horror cinema on purpose: a car that breaks down in the middle of nowhere, a storm, and a strange house glowing among the trees.

You play from a fixed view of each room, drawn in a warm, detailed pre-rendered style: wallpapered halls, a staircase hung with antlers, a bathroom with a clawfoot tub, a bedroom with a portrait over the bed. You click to look closer, read the short lines your character thinks aloud, pick up what you find and use it elsewhere. The puzzles are simple and the game is about atmosphere more than difficulty.

The horror is in the details. The house looks lived in and comfortable, but the photographs have been taken out of their frames, there are things in jars that should not be there, and through the window something big moves in the rain. The game builds slowly toward what happened to the people who lived there.

It suits players who like short, old-school adventure games and haunted house stories, and it takes about the length of a coffee break.

How to play INVITATIONEM

1. Click on the house to go in, and click doorways and stairs to move between rooms.
2. Click on objects marked by the eye cursor to look at them and read your character's thoughts.
3. Pick up items and use them on the right objects to open new rooms.
4. Keep exploring until you learn the house's secret and reach the ending.

Screenshots

Tips

• Read every line of text: the clues are in what your character notices.
• Look closely at the pictures and the frames.
• If you are stuck, go back through every room; an item often opens something you passed earlier.

Questions